Some time ago, I spotted some incredibly gorgeous portraits on Facebook and was blown away by their incredible detail and artistry. They had been made by Jean-Briac Ravello (the stone mason I featured last year in this blogpost) on slate! Yes, that’s right, they have been carved into slate, and this particular portrait, of rapper Xzibit, looks like this:

Quite stunning, isn’t it?

After a while, I saw images of more portraits, of this old man and of the very handsome ram, below. Asking Jean-Briac why he had chosen to do these portraits, he replied (with his usual off-hand humility) that they were just studies in light and shadows.

Apart from feeling quite green with envy at this level of artistry, I am also delighted that these slate beauties exist and will last, for they have been set in stone (well, in slate in this case) to do just that.

Jean-Briac Ravello will be exhibiting other pieces in Barcelona shortly. Meanwhile, check out his beautiful dishes and also an abstract sculpture at Siesta (Carrer Ferlandina 18, Barcelona) and his Facebook page and blog to keep up to date with his latest news.